


I Will Burn For You

by bluebell_84



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Ian sex worker, M/M, No Beta, Some angst, Stripper Ian, also no idea how to title it this time, my plot summary is shit, no love lost for Trevor, probably some mistakes as I'm not a native speaker, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:34:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22638511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebell_84/pseuds/bluebell_84
Summary: Ian is kidnapped and forced into working as a stripper and hooker at a club. But one day an unexpected client comes in and turns his world around.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 18
Kudos: 135





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I feel like I didn't have enough of Ian and Mickey, and just felt like diving back into fanfiction for a bit. Absolutely loved episode 12 and just felt inspired to write some angst (I'm rubbish at writing fluff and anything like that). 
> 
> I've been listening to No1 Crush by Garbage a lot - I think this is Mickey's song (cover by Sleeping Wolf is amazing) :D So I stole the title from the lyrics of the song. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you'll like this little brain dump of mine :D Angsty stuff, but it won't have a sad ending ;)

The first thing that Ian became aware of was a headache so fierce that he felt sick and gagged, but only fluids left his stomach. He lay motionless, scared to even move a muscle in case the nausea returned. 

He had no idea how much time has passed, but finally the throbbing in his skull receded and he let out a sigh of relief. 

But then he opened his eyes and was met with darkness. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his eyes, but it didn’t help. 

Ian stilled again and listened. 

There was a strange sound of metal groaning as if it was in motion. And after a few more minutes he felt the floor underneath him move in slow motions, so slow that he at first missed it. 

He rubbed his eyes and touched his head carefully, but there was no wound. The headache must be caused by the absence of alcohol and drugs. He didn’t want to think it might be something more sinister. 

Ian waited and waited, hoping that as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he would be able to make out the shapes of the room he was in, but time passed and nothing changed. 

Ian tried to remember what happened, but everything was a blur. He remembered going to the Fairytail to work as usual, he remembered going out to dance for the old men leering at him. But then there was a shot after another, somebody slipped him a pill, another one, more shots, more pills. And the memory faded there. 

“Shit,” Ian swore under his breath and a bad feeling sunk and nestled deep in his gut. 

Did one of the patrons take him out and locked him somewhere? Was this what was happening? 

Ian tried to stand up, but the pain in his head made him slow down and take a few deep breaths. When he was finally able to, he groped around and crawled on all fours, but very soon he hit a metal wall. He then stood up slowly and proceeded forward with his hands on the wall. 

And as he walked all the way around the room he was in, his heart sank. 

It was no room. It felt like a metal shipping container. 

Ian banged on the wall and shouted for help. He couldn’t hear a sound, so it was safe to assume that nobody from the outside heard him as well. Bt he tried. He shouted and shouted until the headache got so bad that he had to lie down and just breathe. 

And he felt fear settle deep in his bones. 

Nobody would look for him. At least not anytime soon. And by the time his family would realise he was gone, it will be too late. 

*** 

Was it days or just hours? Could hours feel as long as weeks? 

Ian was hungry, thirsty, cold and very scared by the time he felt the container he was in being moved around. 

He stood up and banged on the walls again, screaming, but nothing happened. 

A few hours passed. 

And then the door rattled and opened. It was so soundproof that Ian didn’t even hear the chains or the key rattling. 

He was suddenly blinded by white light and he closed his eyes and covered them with his hand. And just a couple of seconds later strangers’ hands landed on him and started manhandling him. 

Ian’s hands were forced behind him and cuffed, a bag was thrown on to his head and tied securely around his neck. Then he was pushed up on his feet and dragged out of the container. 

“No, let me go!” Ian tried to resist, but his feeble attempts were easily swatted away. 

He was tired and malnourished, and weak. And the men on each side of him, dragging him by his arms felt strong and big, and relentless. 

Ian was forced into a van and he heard the doors being slid shut as soon as he sat down. The men sat on each side of Ian, their grasps on his arms were ironclad. 

“What’s happening?” Ian asked into the silence and his voice shook. “PLease, just let me go, I’ll keep my mouth shut, I promise!” 

Suddenly there was a gun pressed to his temple and Ian stilled. 

“You’ll keep your mouth shut now,” a low voice hissed into his ear. “Or this could get so much harder for you.” 

The gun lingered for a few more seconds and then the man withdrew it. Ian hunched over and closed his eyes, biting his bottom lip between his teeth to keep himself from crying. 

The ride was far longer than Ian could have endured and by the time they stopped, his nerves were so strung he jumped even from the slightest touch. 

He was dragged out and almost fell down outside the van, but one of the men easily lifted him and back on his feet and pushed him forward. 

They walked into a building and there were stairs and an elevator ride and lots of twists and turns down the hallways. Finally he was roughly stopped, a door was unlocked, then his hands uncuffed and the man shoved him forward so roughly that Ian fell down on the ground. 

The door was slammed shut and locked behind him. 

Ian slowly extended his trembling hands and took out the sack off his head. 

He was in a very small room with a mattress on the floor. There was a bottle of water next to it and an empty bucket. 

Ian lunged for the bottle of water and drank nearly half of it in one go. When he finished and put the water away, did he sank down on the mattress and hugged his knees, trying to make himself disappear. 

He was in a fucking cell. A cage. A tiny hole somewhere under a building. 

“Fuck…” Ian whispered and buried his head in his hands. 

*** 

Thoughts - one wilder than the other - were all Ian had. That and two slices of bread and another bottle of water that was brought in while he was asleep. Ian woke up and turned around only to see the door closing again and the bread and water already left on the floor. 

He banged on the door and cursed, and pleaded, but nothing happened. He didn’t hear any sounds coming from outside. 

He took the two pieces of bread with his shaky fingers, and tried to force himself to eat as slowly as he could. He desperately wanted to save at least half of a slice for later, but he was so hungry he just about managed to chew the slices slow enough to feel the taste. 

Ian drank lots of water to fill his stomach and his eyes filled with tears. 

He tried not to think of why this was happening to him or what still awaited. 

He needed to remain strong in order to survive whatever was in store for him. 

But it was so unimaginably hard when he was all alone, and in the mercy of dangerous strangers. 

He kept track of time by counting meals. There were three more meals of bread and water. ANd when the same man came in for the fifth time, he came empty handed. 

The man was tall and big. He had fat and muscle, and looked like an unmovable mountain. Even if Ian was in pretty good shape, he wouldn’t still be able to fight him. 

“Stand up and come here,” the man barked at him. 

“Why?” Ian asked, his voice raspy and shaky. 

The man looked at him and Ina understood without being told - questions would be answered with fists. So Ian stood up and without any further words came up to the man. He immediately grabbed Ian’s wrists and cuffed them. 

“Move,” he said and Ian could do nothing else but obey. 

They walked out of the room and Ian saw a plain passageway with doors on both sides. They walked up to the lift and the man pressed one of the upper floor buttons. When the lift’s door opened, they emerged to what looked like another hall, but this time there were people around. 

Nobody spared Ian a second glance, as if seeing dirty, scared young men with cuffed hands was nothing out of the ordinary. 

Ian was pushed forward and they went into the room with benches and showers at the far end. The man uncuffed Ian’s hands and stepped back. 

“Strip,” he said, looking at Ian. 

Ian froze to the spot and just stared back. 

“Do I have to repeat myself?” the man asked. 

Ian hesitated, not wanting to strip naked in front of him, even if all it meant was that he had to go take a shower. 

Without a warning the man took a taser out of his pocket and lunged forward. 

The pain in Ian’s left side was sharp and swift, and his muscles relaxed so much that he lost control of his bladder. Ian fell to the floor and clutched his torso, breathing deeply and waiting for the nausea to pass. 

“Get the fuck up!” he heard the man’s voice and a kick to his legs followed. “Now!” 

Ian clenched his feet and stood up. 

His trousers were now wet with his piss. 

“Strip,” the man said. 

Ian slowly lifted his hands and took his dirty shirt off. His shoes and trousers followed. Ian hesitated before taking off his boxers as well, but he felt the impatience radiating from the man watching him, so he did as he was told. 

“There’s antibacterial shower gel there,” the man gestured at the end of the room. “Go wash yourself properly. Make sure your asshole is clean as well.” 

Ian gulped and closed his eyes for a moment. 

He pushed the fear and the desire to flee away, and slowly turned around. 

“You have five minutes,” the man barked behind him. “Hurry the fuck up!” 

Ian washed himself as quickly as he could, savoring the warm water and the feeling of all the filth rubbing off of him. His face burned with shame as he washed inside himself as well with his fingers. He didn’t think of why he was told to do that, he blocked these thoughts out and just went with the motions. 

When he emerged from the shower, there was a towel left on a bench. He dried himself and looked around for his clothes. 

“Hands,” the man said and Ian looked up at him confused. 

“I need my clothes…” he started, but the man slapped him on the face. 

“Hands,” he repeated, sounding less patient. 

Ian put his hands forward and the man cuffed him again. Then he pushed Ian forward and they left the shower room. 

Now when they were passing other people, their gases lingered on Ian’s naked body. Ian kept his head lowered and his eyes firmly on the floor. His face burned with shame and a lump in his throat threatened to break out in tears soon. 

They were back at the lift and this time they went only one floor up. When the doors opened, Ian stepped on a plush, soft carpet and the hallway was quiet and bright. They walked to the very end of the hall where a guard was standing by the door. 

The guard nodded at the man next to Ian and then knocked on the door. He waited five seconds and then opened it. Ian was pushed inside and the heavy doors closed behind them. 

It was a huge room that could pass for an office except there was also a huge sofa and table, a bar at the end and a huge mirror on one of the walls. There were sex toys scattered all over the floor, some discarded newspapers, dog toys, empty take-away boxes. 

There were four other men in the room, but one of them was seated at the table and had an air about him like he owned the entire place. 

He probably did. 

The man stood up and came up to Ian and his guard. 

“Well then,” the man said. “I love to receive new goods, but this is really an unexpected treat.” 

Ian flinched and tried to step back, but the guard held him firm in the place. 

“This one pissed himself when I tasered him,” the guard said and there was gleeful satisfaction in his voice. 

“Did he now?” the other man laughed. “Well, good to know he’s not immune to pain.” 

“Should I do the examination, Caleb?” one of the men who were already in the room asked. 

“No, Jake, I’ll do it myself.” 

Ian’s guard grabbed him by the back of his neck and made him look up. Caleb looked straight at Ian and smiled. 

“Really, a very unexpected surprise,” he said as if to himself. 

Jake came up to them with silicon gloves in his hands. 

“Here you go, Caleb.”

Caleb took the gloves and slowly ut them on. Ian tried to remain calm and breathe slowly, but his heart rate picked up significantly and he thought it was going to burst out of his chest soon. He felt tense and ready to bolt if not for the hand on his neck, keeping him in place. 

Caleb came over and took Ian’s chin in his hand. He turned Ian’s head one way and the other, put his other hand through Ian’s hair and pulled. 

“Open up your mouth,” he said. 

When Ian didn’t comply, Caleb smiled pleasantly. 

“I can ask Dusty right here,” he motioned behind Ian, “to force you down and open your mouth. You might lose a tooth or two in the process, but if you’re behaving like a bitch, I’ll treat you like one.” 

Ian looked at Caleb with so much hatred, but he had to obey. He relaxed his jaw and slightly opened his mouth. Caleb put his fingers inside and forced Ian to open his mouth as wide as he could. 

Caled then proceeded feeling up Ian’s chest and arms, and then his hand drifted lower and cupped Ian penis. He measured the length and felt Ian’s balls, and Ian wanted to cry from shame. But he grit his teeth and tried to keep his anger inside. 

“Looks promising,” Caleb said. “It’s a shame that you won’t be able to use it much.” 

Caleb nodded at Dusty behind Ian and Dusty forced Ian to walk towards the table. He then pushed Ian forward until his chest and head rested on the table and his ass was up in the air. Dusty kicked at Ian’s legs and forced him to spread them as wide as he could. Two of the other men who were watching the scene so far now walked up to Ian and bent down to look at his ass. 

“Doesn’t look like it was used much,” one of them said. 

“Yup, still pretty fresh,” Caleb said. 

And then Ian felt Caleb’s finger at his entrance, and he tensed. But Caleb forced his dry gloved finger anyway, without any lube to make it easier on Ian. 

He shoved his finger as deep as he could and wriggled it around. 

“Seems fine,” he finally said and took his finger out. 

Dusty forced Ian to stand up again, facing Caleb. 

“Congratulations,” Caleb said, “you’re hired!” 

“What?” Ian stuttered. 

He was so perplexed and surprised, but the men started laughing immediately. 

“Your pay will be a roof over your head and three meals a day. Lube, alcohol and drugs available on the customers’ discretion.” 

The men laughed again and Ian felt like he wanted to die right there and then. 

“Please let me go, I don’t understand why I’m here or how, but I swear-” 

A slap was not very painful, but unexpected and humiliating. 

“First lesson,” Caleb said. “You do not speak if you are not asked a question directly. Understood?” 

Ian glared at him, his lips a thin hard line. 

Caleb slapped him again. 

“Do you understand?” he repeated the questions. 

Tears rolled down Ian’s cheeks and finally he nodded. 

Caled hit him now on the face and Ian stumbled backwards a little. 

“I asked you a question!” 

“Yes,” Ian whispered. “I understand…” 

Caleb patted him on the cheek. 

“Good boy. Now…” he leaned on the table and crossed his hands on his chest. “First is the probation period. Make it good.” 

Ian stared at Caleb, uncomprehending. 

“Are you stupid?” Dusty behind him said irritated and forced Ian on his knees. “Suck his cock and make it good.” 

Ian recoiled and wanted to stand up, but Dusty’s thick, heavy hand on his neck kept him firmy kneeling on the ground. 

Caleb slowly unzipped his jeans and took his already hardening cock out. 

“I’m going to enjoy this,” he said slowly. “But do get on with the program. There will be four more cocks to suck after you’re done with mine.” 

Ian looked down at Caleb’s penis and his hand holding it, and he took a steady, deep breath through his nose. 

He had no time to compose himself or make peace with the situation - Dusty forced his face down and Ian found himself choking on a penis deep down his throat. 

It took a long time and every second felt a minute long. Ian tried not to think and just do the job mechanically, but he couldn’t even disassociate himself as Caleb asked him questions and made him be present in the moment. When he finished, he forced Ian swallow all the warm sperm to the last drop. 

When Ian finally drew back and took a few deep breaths, Dusty took Caleb’s place with a sneer on his face and a desire so raw that Ian didn’t hesitate but took him in his mouth immediately. 

More people came in the room afterwards and the hours blended one after the other. One cock down Ian’s throat after the other. They stayed and commented on how Ian bobbed his head or used his tongue. They gave specific instructions and slapped Ian for not listening. They had drinks and snacks, and went for a second or even a third round. 

Ian’s knees were in pain and his throat swollen. Hie eyes red from tears and his nose blocked with snot. 

His hands trembled when he took yet another penis in his hand and positioned it in front of his mouth. 

And yet this wasn’t the worst that was waiting for him yet. 

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comment's guys! ^_^   
> I will try to update more or less weekly, so that there's not a big stretch in between the updates. It's mostly written anyway, but I need to edit what's already written and write the last chapter (or two).   
> Anyways, we meet Mickey in this chapter :D   
> <3

Mickey paid for the drink and proceeded to go closer to the stage. He started coming here every week now and the reason was about to show up on stage. 

Tall, muscled, gorgeous ginger with a jaw to die for. 

Mickey wasn’t usually the one to be shy and careful when it came to propositioning for sex, but this guy made Mickey feel inadequate and intimidated. Even if Mickey would be paying for an hour with the redhead, he still felt like the stripper could look down on him. Who was he - short and bad-tempered asshole - compared to the chiseled, confident redhead. 

“Fuck,” Mickey swore at himself. “Grow some fucking balls.” 

It was then that redhead came out on stage. Strippers in this club were well-guarded, so Mickey could come up closer to the stage, but touching was out of the question - there were a few security guys always mingling about and throwing out of the club anyone who had grabby hands. 

Mickey took one of the few empty stools at the stage and watched the readhead start dancing. 

He always looked slightly out of sorts - a little distant look, not making much eye contact with anyone, sometimes having that little condescending smirk when he looked at people. Mickey suspected he did drugs - who didn’t these days? - to help him relax. Or perhaps stripping was a means to support his drug addiction. 

Mickey hated the fact that he cared enough to wonder. 

He glanced at one of the security guys. He’s seen other men come up to them and after a brief chat they would be led away backstage. Mickey never did this himself before, he would usually just be able to pick up somebody himself without paying. But he did get a hooker a few times before, when he was desperate. And now he was desperate to spend some time with the redhead, to hear him actually speak. 

Mickey tried waiting outside the club a few times, but with no luck. He couldn't understand if the redhead was working double shifts all the time or if he just stayed the night there, somewhere in the staff room. He seemed to never leave the building. 

So since Mickey couldn’t chat the readhead up outside the club, he was going to take the second option available. 

Mickey finished his beer and stood up. He came over to one of the security men who looked marginally less mean. 

“Hey man,” Mickey said, trying to sound casual. “Is there any chance I can see this redhead backstage? I mean, you know what I mean, yeah?” 

The security guy looked at Mickey briefly and nodded. 

“120$ for an hour,” he said. 

Mickey nodded, having no idea if this was overpriced or not. The security guy glared at him, waiting for something and Mickey struggled to guess what he wanted Mickey to say. 

“You want one hour or more?” he finally asked Mickey. 

“One hour is enough!” 

“Wait here then,” the security man said and turned away from Mickey. 

It was a few more minutes until the redhead finished dancing and swaggered off the stage. Just a thought of him leaning over Mickey was making him hard. He wanted the redhead to cage him under his body, to fuck him slowly and dominantly - if he fucked as well as he danced, Mickey wasn’t sure he could take it. 

“Follow me,” the guard said and Mickey jumped a little. He staggered to keep up and was led backstage. He noticed that the guard used a key card and all the doors were locked. He took Mickey to a quiet corridor with doors on either side. Mickey quickly counted at least 6 rooms when the guard opened one of them and showed Mickey inside. 

“Payment first,” the guard said and Mickey quickly counted the money and shoved it at him. “No beating, biting and no toys of any sorts. Slapping is allowed as long as you don’t leave marks. If you damage him, you pay 500$ regardless of the injury. Clear?” 

“Yeah,” Mickey nodded, suddenly feeling less turned off. 

The security guard gave Mickey a bored look and finally left the room, closing the door behind him. Mickey turned around and glanced over a huge bed that was the only thing in the entire room. There was also a box by the door and Mickey saw lots of condoms and lube in it. 

The door opened again and redhead came in. 

His entrance took Mickey by surprise even if he was the only reason why Mickey was here. 

The redhead was still wearing tiny shorts and nothing else. He looked at Mickey with his intense eyes and suddenly he didn’t look so high or absent-minded as he was on stage. If anything, he looked startled for some reason upon seeing Mickey. 

“Hey,” Mickey said to dispel the awkwardness that was suddenly in the air. 

“Hey there,” the redhead smiled and closed the doors. He looked slightly uncertain and that unnerved Mickey a little. “What is it that you’re looking for tonight? A blowjob? A private dance? Or do you want to go straight to fucking me?” 

He was much, much taller that he looked on stage. He was towering over Mickey and Mickey was itching for the redhead to throw him on the bed and fuck him. 

“What’s your name, Red?” Mickey asked, trying to push some confidence in his voice. 

Redhead blinked, surprised, and for a second he looked like the one out of place all of a sudden. But the moment passed as if it never happened and he smirked. 

“Curtis,” he said. “And what’s your name, gorgeous?” 

“Mickey.” 

“Well, Mickey, what do you feel like doing tonight?” 

Red stepped closer to Mickey and looked him over. Then he put his hands over Mickey's crotch and massaged gently. Mickey felt himself harden and he exhaled, feeling the tension slowly leave his body. 

“I’ve seen you watching me,” Red said quietly, a smirk not leaving his lips. 

“Ah, man, you’re impossible not to notice,” Mickey said. 

“Redheads are your type?” 

“Come on - tall, muscled, gorgeous hunk like you is everyone’s type,” Mickey said. 

“Yeah…” Red agreed, but Mickey felt like he heard a note of sadness in that one word. He pulled away a little bit and looked at Red. 

“We don’t have to fuck if you are not turned on by me at all,” Mickey said slightly defensively. “I know I paid already, but fuck it, don’t matter if you’re so dissapointed.” 

Red stared at him, a shocked look on his face. He took a step back and looked at Mickey suspiciously now. 

“Did he send you?” he asked. 

“Huh?” 

“Was it Caleb? Did he send you to test my obedience? Cause I fucking do all that is asked of me! I’ll suck your cock, I’ll spread my legs for you - what else do you want?”

Mickey just stared at Curtis, shocked, completely speechless. 

“Fuck,” Red said and paled. “Fuck, nobody sent you, did they?” 

When Mickey just stared at him, Red visibly got more upset. 

“Fuck, sorry, forget it! Just-” 

He jumped up to Mickey and sank to his knees. He grabbed Mickey's belt and unbuckled it, and unzipped his trousers. He took Mickey's now mostly soft cock out and immediately swallowed the tip, tongue already working at the slit. 

Mickey jumped back so far that he bumped into the bed behind him. He pulled his boxers back up and scrambled to zip and buckle up. 

Red stared at him, his expression now scared and his eyes watery. 

“Please, please let me! I’ll do anything you want! Anything!” 

“Shit, what the fuck!” Mickey walked round the bed and moved away from the redhead. “I thought you’re a fucking hooker!” 

“I am!” Red stood up and took a step closer to Mickey, pleading. “I’ll do anything you want, please don’t leave!” 

“Why the fuck are you so desperate to fuck me if you hate even the sight of me so much?” Mickey asked, disgusted at himself and at the redhead. 

“Because if they’ll find out I didn’t, they’ll…” but he stopped and swallowed his words. He took a slow, calming breath and started speaking calmer and more composed now. “You don’t look stupid, so you must understadn that not every hooker loves being fucked by random men all night. But this is what I have to do and if you tell them I didn’t, I’ll be in very, very big trouble.” 

Mickey looked at Red, his heart sinking. He thought he might throw up, seeing this young, beautiful man desperate to please, scared of the consequences if he wouldn’t. 

“Shit,” Mickey swore. “I’m so fucking stupid.” 

He turned around, because he couldn’t face Red anymore. 

“Mickey, please, let me-” 

“No!” Mickey said and Red fell quiet. 

Mickey took a deep breath and turned around. 

“Is it drugs? Are you addicted?” 

Red shook his head slowly. 

“I use, but not addicted. Yet.” 

“So what is it? Why are you here then?” 

Red looked at him like he really wanted to tell him, his big eyes pleading. But he kept his lips tightly shut. 

“I won’t tell them anything, I promise,” Mickey said softly. “Actually, we can leave right now, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I’ll help you find a job, there are plenty of other things you can do. You can sleep on my coach - I live with my sister, so you don't have to worry that I'm some creep.” 

Red stared at him and then laughed. 

“The fuck?” Mickey said, feeling insulted. But then his heart sank to his feet when he saw that Red’s laughter turned into tears and his face was distorted in an ugly, angry, sad scowl. 

Red put his hands over his mouth and sobbed into his palms, stifling the sounds. 

Mickey felt completely out of sorts. He couldn’t remember if he ever had to deal with somebody crying like that before in his life. 

Red let out a sound that sounded a lot like a wail, just muffled by his hands. He took a few deep breaths and his body shook from emotions. He then slowly composed himself, blinked away the tears and took a deep, shuddering breath in. He straightened up and tried to compose himself. 

“You can’t leave, can you?” Mickey asked quietly. 

Red shook his head curtly, sadness overtaking his beautiful face. 

“Fuck…” 

They stood there like that for a minute, just looking at each other. Mickey felt awful and Red looked like he tried his best to compose himself again into the confident stripper that he was supposed to be. 

“I’ll call the police for you or your family. Do you have any?” Mickey asked. “I’ll help you get out of here.” 

He didn’t know where this chivalry was coming from. He knew that getting himself into this sort of business was actually dangerous, but he now felt responsible and involved, and he liked the redhead too much to just leave and forget about him. 

“My family is…” Red started, but stopped. He shook his head slowly and wiped the tears away with the back of his hand. “My family is safe as long as I do the job,” he said. “So I don’t really have a choice here. And I… I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I can’t... “ 

“Curtis…” 

Red scoffed and turned away. 

“That’s not your real name, is it?” Mickey said. 

Red hesitated for a second, but then turned around and looked at Mickey. 

“My name’s Ian.”

His voice sounded sad and resigned, as if telling Mickey his name was some sort of final nail in the coffin. 

“Nice to meet you, Ian.” 

Ian stared at Mickey and suddenly started laughing. His laugh was light and genuine this time, and Mickey smiled a little. 

“Nobody ever cared enough to ask me what I wanted or how I felt,” Ian said. “They just wanted to fuck me - get on all fours or lie on your back, that’s all conversation I ever had.” 

“How long have you been here?” Mickey asked. 

Ian hesitated for a moment. 

“Seven months.” 

“Shit…I’m sorry.” 

Ian shrugged. 

“Not your fault.” 

“I’ll help you get out of here.” 

“Do you think they’ll just let me walk away?” Ian asked. “And what do you think will happen if I escape? They know where my family lives - I’m here for life, or at least as long as I’m young and attractive. Not sure what they do with the used up whores.” 

Mickey came up to Ian and was about to grab him by his shoulders, but in the last second restrained himself. 

“Listen, I’ll think about it, ok? My family, well my brothers and cousins, are doing all sorts of businesses and they might be able to help. I’ll ask around, see who this Caleb guy is, how high-up or dangerous he is, see what we can do to get you out.” 

Ian stared at him, his face getting a hard expression. 

“And what’s in it for you? You want to fuck me? You know you can do that right now, you paid already. If you want to fuck, let’s just fuck and you can move on with your lfie, no need for complications.” 

“I do want you,” Mickey said slowly, “but I cannot fuck you knowing that you absolutely would hate that. I’m an asshole, but even I have standards - I don’t rape people.” 

Ian flinched at that. 

“And anyway, I like cock up my ass too much to switch. So you’d need to be all into it for that to work, so…” Mickey shrugged. 

“For what it’s worth, I’d definitely fuck you if we met in a bar,” Ian said and smiled a little. “I would’ve definitely fucked you before, if I knew…” 

“Thanks, man, glad to hear I’m not completely hopeless.” 

They looked at each other awkwardly and Mickey sat down on the bed. 

“We should still use up the hour we have, yeah? Otherwise it’d look suspicious?” 

“Yeah,” Ian nodded. 

“Come on, sit, tell me about your childhood shit or whatever.” 

Ian laughed, but came up to sit on the bed. 

Their conversation was hesitant, with lots of pauses and awkwardness. But the more they talked, the more relaxed Ian became. And Mickey found himself liking him more and more. Ian avoided mentioning his family at all, but talked about his life before he wound up here. 

When the hour was up, Mickey stood up to leave and Ian’s worried expression returned. 

“I promise, I won’t say anything - had the best fuck of my life if they’ll ask!” Mickey said. 

Ian smiled a little. 

“It was nice,” he said. “The best hour of the last seven months. Thanks for… thanks for giving a shit, even if you...” 

“I’ll get you out, ok?” Mickey said. 

Ian nodded, but he looked like he was only humouring Mickey and didn’t believe him at all. 

They looked at each other for a moment longer and then Mickey left the room. 

He walked out of the building without looking at anyone and when he reached his car and locked himself in, he let himself exhale a shaky breath. 

He willed himself not to care about the redhead, to forget him. After all, there were so many people suffering in the world, people who were so much more unfortunate than Ian, so what was one hookers pain compared to people starving and dying in the world? 

And yet… 

Mickey laughed at himself. 

“You know what you’re going to do, you piece of shit,” he told himslef loudly, “so move your fucking ass.” 

He started the car and left, dialing one of his brother’s at the same time. 

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudos and comments, guys! ^_^   
> This chapter feels like it's a bit shorter, but I hope you'll still enjoy reading ^_^   
> <3

“So let me get this straight - you just met some hooker who’s working under some crime-lord, fucked him once and now you’re going to risk your life trying to get him out?” 

Mickey lit a cigarette and scoffed. 

“We didn’t fuck,” he said. 

“That’s what you think is the most important part of that sentence?” 

Mickey looked at his sister - messy black hair and eyes still puffy from sleep, snuggled in a bathrobe and nursing a strong cup of coffee. Mickey was not the only one out late yesterday night. 

“I like him,” Mickey said, “and I want to help him.” 

“You like him?” his sister asked, raising one eyebrow sceptically. 

“Yeah, I do! Has it never happened to you before - you meet somebody and even if you only spent a few hours with them, you feel like you’ve known them forever? It’s like… like we just clicked. And Mandy, I really… I mean, fuck…” 

Mandy looked at him and drank some coffee. 

“But you do realise that if he’s working in a club and never even leaves the building, that he’s a well-guarded possession,” she said. 

“I know.” 

They were quiet for a moment, just drinking coffee and thinking when the doors opened and Mickey’s brother Iggy came in. 

“You’re using that spare key way too freely,” Mandy muttered, but was ignored. 

“Hey,” Iggy said. “I was not far, so I thought I’ll just stop by and beat some sense into you.”

Mickey glared at his brother. 

“Meaning?” 

“Meaning you’re interested in Caleb’s hooker - which is basically the same as asking all the criminals of Chicago to get you killed.” 

“Is he that powerful?” Mickey asked. 

“Not so much powerful as well-connected,” Iggy shrugged. “So I would strongly suggest you to leave it. Because it would not end well for you. I’m not going to help, bro, sorry.” 

Iggy opened the fridge and looked inside - so much for stopping by to chat only. He took a plate of pasta leftovers and dug in. 

“Fuck,” Mickey put his coffee aside and stood up. “I don't care… I’ll help Ian somehow, I’ll think of something.”

“Ian?” Mandy asked. “That’s his name?” 

“Yeah, what about it?”

“What’s his surname?”

Mickey shrugged. 

“Didn’t ask for one.”

“Shit,” Mandy breathed out. 

“What?” Mickey asked. “Just tell us what it is?” 

“Don’t you remember Ian? Ian Gallagher? We were friends in school, he used to come after school to study with me. Scrawny ginger kid, barely much taller than you?” 

“Shit,” Mickey’s mouth hung open. “Shit, you’re right! That’s him!” 

“Really?” Mandy asked. “I was hoping that the name was just a coincidence.” 

“No, it must be him! How did I not recognise him? He’s definitely not shorter than me though! He’s much taller and bigger now, and well-built, but fuck... it’s definitely him!” 

“No wonder you want to help him out - you were always loitering around when we were studying, trying to get a good look at Ian’s cock. You were obsessed with him even back then!”

“I was not!”

“Are you really going to start denying it now?” 

Mickey scoffed, but didn’t say anything else. 

“Shit, poor Ian,” Mandy said. “His family is looking for him, filed a missing person’s report and everything.” 

“Can’t you just tell his family where he is and they can go to the cops?” Iggy asked, his mouth full. 

“The cops can’t show up there and go looking in the building with no evidence and proof of anything,” Mickey said. “That’s IF they would even deign to do it, considering the Gallagher’s are dirt poor. Cops don’t care.” 

“We can try at least…” Mandy said. 

“Hmm,” Mickey paced in the kitchen. “How do you know they filed a missing person’s report on Ian?” 

“Lip called me…” Mandy said. “He was really worried, asked if I had heard anything from Ian or about him. Said they went to the police, but Ian as if disappeared off the face of the earth. He was working as an EMT and dating some guy who was working in a youth shelter. He was keeping out of trouble.” 

They fell silent again, thinking the situation through. 

“I can go there, see if they have any jobs available during the weekends,” Mandy said. “If I’d get in, it would be easier to think of a plan on getting Ian out.” 

“Too dangerous,” Mickey said. 

“Do you have any other suggestions?” 

“Not at the moment,” Mickey said. “I’ll go back, get an hour with him and try to get any information on where he sleeps, how the security works there - anything that might be useful. Then, depending on how much Ian knows, we go from there.”

“Do we contact his family?” Mandy asked. 

“Maybe not right now,” Mickey said. “Let me talk to him once more, see how much info he can give us, what’s the situation.” 

“Uhhh, this pasta is so good,” Iggy said and Mickey and Mandy both glared at him. “Right, thanks for breakfast! I’m heading out!” 

“Don’t say a word about this to anyone,” Mickey said. “I’ll get in touch if I need your help.”

“I’m sure you will,” Igyy said. 

“Hey, this is serious,” Mickey said. 

“I know, bro, don’t worry. I’ll help if I can! Call me when you have a plan or something!” 

“Thanks, man.” 

Iggy left and Mickey and Mandy sat down to finish their lukewarm breakfast. 

“How is he dealing with all of it?” Mandy asked. “You know, being kidnapped and all…”

“He’s strong,” Mickey said, sounding impressed. “He can hold up for a while longer while we find a way to get him out. I’ll go see him in a couple of days, maybe Tuesday night. Less suspicious if I won’t start showing up very often. Also, his ass costs a lot - I can’t afford going there every night anyway.” 

They finished eating and parted ways. 

Mickey spent the rest of the day thinking about Ian. 

*** 

When Ian came into the room and saw Mickey sitting on the bed, he stopped surprised for a moment. Then quickly closed the door and stepped closer. 

“You came back,” he said, surprised. 

“I said I will.” 

Ian shrugged. 

“Didn’t mean you would. I didn’t think you would, I thought…” 

“Did you recognise me?” Mickey asked. 

“Umm… yeah…” Ian said, suddenly looking uncertain. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” 

Ian shrugged. 

“We barely said a few words to each other back then and it’s been more than six years, and you clearly didn’t recognise me, so... I don’t know…”

“Could’ve asked for help, asked me to contact your family.”

“I told you, I don’t want my family to get hurt!” Ian said heatedly. 

“But you’re fine with me putting my neck out for you?” Mickey asked. 

“No, I never said that!” Ian was getting more and more frustrated. “If anything, when I came in the room and saw you, I was shocked to find out you’re gay! If I knew back then-” but he stopped himself and looked uncertainly at Mickey. 

“What? Back then what?”

“Mandy was my friend and all, but I came over her place so often was because I had a massive crush on you.”

Mickey raised his eyebrows. 

“I mean it.” 

“Well fuck,” Mickey said. “So much potential wasted.”

When Ian looked confused, Mickey added offhandedly. 

“Cute ginger nerd with a confident smirk coming to my house every week? I would’ve fucked you, Gallagher, no questions asked.” 

Ian laughed. 

“Ahh damn! I wish you would’ve said something!” 

They looked at each other and smiled. Ian’s glistening skin from sweat and glitter, and his tight shorts were very distracting. 

“Right, well, we don’t have much time to waste, unfortunately,” Mickey said. “We need to talk, you need to tell me all you know about the layout of this building, security guys or anything else that you think might be useful. We’re getting you out.” 

“For real?” Ian asked and his voice sounded hopeful. 

“For real,” Mickey said, his face suddenly getting a dangerous look. 

Ian sat down and they went over everything he could think of. The hour ended far too quickly and Mickey promised to come back during the weekend or later if they wouldn’t have a plan set that soon. 

“Sorry, man, I can’t afford coming to see you so often, you’re expensive.” 

Ian laughed a little. 

“Well, I can’t wait to see you, Mick, whenever that will happen.” 

“Keep an eye on the things here, anything you think might be useful for me to know next time I come.” 

“Definitely!” 

There was a knock at the door - their hour was up. 

“See you soon, Galagher,” Mickey said. 

“See you,” Ian said, sounding a little resigned and sad. 

Mickey left and Ian had to compose himself for a moment. It’ll be much harder now to bare all of his clients knowing he could be out of here soon. Hope was dangerous and Ian didn’t want to believe he’ll be out of this hell just to get disappointed later. 

*** 

Morning was fast approaching and the club finally closed. Ian walked back slowly to his room under the watchful eye of one of the security guards trailing behind. 

He mostly spent his free time sleeping. Not much else was there to do. 

He was only one of the five guys who were permanently locked up here and they were barely ever let to stay in the same room together. So Ian just slept - time went faster that way and was least painful. 

He went inside his room and the guard locked the door behind him. Ian took a shower and got ready to go to sleep as the door was suddenly opened again. 

Caleb stepped in and closed the door behind him. 

Ian froze to the spot. 

“Morning, my little slut,” Caleb smiled. “How was your night? Earned me some money?” 

Ian nodded slowly, steeling himself. Caleb didn’t come often, but he liked to use the guys he had to satisfy his own urges. After all, they were free, available 24/7 and obedient. 

“Lucky me,” Caleb said, looking Ian over, “you just got out of shower.” 

He walked towards the bed and sat down. 

“Well then, come on, suck my cock. I’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

He took a cigarette and lit it while Ian walked up and sank to his knees. Caleb exhaled his first smoke while Ian unzipped his jeans and took Caleb’s already half-hard cock out. 

Ian’s fingers trembled slightly. But he forced himself not to think and just get on with it. 

Now, when freedom was in sight, every blowjob and every time some client fucked him was becoming harder to bare. 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, okay, I know that it's not very realistic that Mickey didn't recognise Ian. But I wanted Mickey to want to help Ian even before knowing who he was! Also, I think if Mickey didn't meet and think of Ian for 6 years, maaaaaybe it's not so far-fetched that he didn't recognise him? :O 
> 
> Anyways, till next time ;) I'm going on a long-ish holiday in two and a half weeks, so ideally I'd like to finish this story before that :) Not that much is left now anyways :)
> 
> <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm posting a new chapter already :D I hope you'll like where things went :O 
> 
> Thank you for kudos and comments as always ^_^ 
> 
> <3

There was no easy plan or solution. 

Mickey raked his brain every day while working, eating his lunch, brushing his teeth, trying to fall asleep. 

How was he supposed to get Ian out? Should he just go to the police and hope they’ll go to the club and free Ian? 

No, if they go and ask questions without seeing Ian, that Caleb guy would just get Ian out to a new place and they’d never see him again. Or he’d simply kill Ian - less hassle. 

“Shit,” Mickey stubbed his cigarette out on his kitchen counter. 

He visited Ian a few more times and got as much information as Ian could give him. And all he came up with in the end was that the club was a well-guarded place, though not impenetrable. But the rooms where the guys were kept were like a prison. 

Mickey only had one idea and it was very dumb. It was such a simple plan that it might just work. Especially if the owner of the club was not expecting any ambush whatsoever. 

He ran his plan through with Mandy and Iggy, and they just shrugged. Might as well go for it - nobody had any other ideas. 

*** 

Ian slumped back on the bed as soon as the door closed. This client kept coming back again and again, and Ian was sick of him. He was just some middle-aged office worker, probably still deep in the closet, But when he fucked Ian, he was a nasty piece of work. He liked getting reactions from Ian and the best way to do it was hurt him. 

Ian hated his guts. 

Suddenly the doors opened again and one of the guards came in. 

“What’s taking so long?” he barked. “You still gotta dance on stage in like 5 minutes!” 

“Just let me go wash up,” Ian said tiredly, not in the mood to argue. 

The night was nearly over. A few more dances and hopefully nobody will want him again. Then he’d just be able to go and sleep. Until the evening came again. 

Rinse and repeat. 

Ian quickly washed up in the sink and dried himself. He made sure no cum was left on his skin in between his legs. 

He desperately wanted to just go to sleep. 

Since Mickey showed out of the blue and promised to get him out of here, Ian couldn’t keep pretending he was fine. He couldn’t keep blocking the situation he was in and lying to himself. 

When the possibility of being freed became real, he couldn’t stand this life anymore. He felt he was getting depressed more and more with each day. 

And Mickey hadn’t come for over a week now. 

Ian dried himself with a towel and drank some water. 

“Just don’t think about it,” he muttered to himself quietly. 

The club was less crowded now. It was after 3am after all. Ian was herded back towards the stage. He plastered a fake smirk on his face and got to dancing. He didn’t look at any men in the crowd, hoping the guards will not notice and he’ll get away without being draged to the room to fuck one more time. 

However, when the three songs were over and he got off the stage, the guard pushed him back towards the private rooms again. 

“There’s one more client waiting in there already,” he said. 

Ian winced, but nodded slightly and let himself be taken away. 

The last thing he wanted to do was get fucked again. Or pretend he enjoyed sucking some old, wrinkly cock - sucking cocks was actually hard work, especially when you had to pretend it was turning you on. 

But when he stepped inside the room, Mickey was waiting for him there. As soon as the door closed behind Ian and they were left alone, Ian let out a relieved sigh. 

“You came back,” he said and without thinking leaped forward and hugged him. “I thought…” 

“Yeah, sorry it took a while,” Mickey said. He felt slightly stiff under Ian’s embrace and Ian let him go, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. 

Then he looked at Mickey, his face was serious. 

“We’re getting you out now,” Mickey said. 

“Now?” Ian asked, puzzled. “As in - right now?” 

“Well, in another ten minutes I think,” Mickey took out his phone and sent a text. “All done. Now we just wait a bit. I don’t suppose you have any clothes here?” 

Mickey looked around the bare room and Ian shook his head, still looking dumbstruck. 

“Here, take this at least,” Mickey took his jacket off and gave it to Ian. Ian put it on - it was a tight fit and the sleeves were very short. One of the pockets felt heavier than the other one. “Goes well with your sparkly shorts.” 

“Thanks,” Ian smiled. “So what are we waiting for?” 

“It’s a shitty plan,” Mickey said, “but we couldn’t come up with anything better.” 

“We?” 

“Iggy and Mandy are helping, my siblings, you know?” 

Ian nodded.

“Mandy’s waiting outside in a car. Iggy should be heading down to the toilets right about now and setting them on fire. Then he’ll sound the fire alarm and we run.” 

Ian stared at Mickey. 

“That’s the plan?” 

“Yup,” Mickey said. “We run away with the chaos of all the people running. Hopefully there's enough smoke coming from toilets to cause real panic. Iggy will make sure of it” 

Ian tugged the jacked around himself tighter. 

“But how is he supposed to set the toilets on fire?” 

“They’ve got these ugly sofas with cushions and those curtains down there?” Mickey asked. “Iggy has some gasoline.” 

Ian smiled. And just as he was about to say something, the fire alarm sounded. It was shrill and deafening. 

“Let’s go!” Mickey said and grabbed Ian’s arm. Ian’s heart started beating wildly in his chest - he felt so unprepared for all of this, and so frightened, but excited at the same time. 

They burst out of the room and a few seconds later a couple more guys peeked out from the rooms nearby, looking curious, but not overly concerned. 

“RUN!” Ian shouted back at them and this seemed to do the trick. 

Mickey hoped they’d be able to escape this private room hallway before the guards came running, but as they were reaching the end of the hallway, one of the guards, the one who escorted Ian here, burst through the door. 

Ian instinctively shrank back from him, but Mickey let go of Ian’s arm and ran straight at the guard. It was purely the surprise factor that helped him. Mickey kicked the guard between his legs so hard that he crumpled to the floor instantly. Mickey grabbed his gun and hit the man on the temple with the but of the gun hard. The guard fell and didn’t move. 

The other two strippers and their customers ran past them and out the door, but Ian was staring at Mickey, frozen to the spot. 

“Come on, Ian, move!” 

Mickey grabbed Ian, but the door closed and when Mickey tried to open it, it didn’t move. 

“Fuck!” 

One of the things that the guards did was always lock the doors from outside in case of an attack or of a police raid. 

Somebody saw the other guys running out and locked the doors after them. 

“Come on, you said there’s another exit through the back?” Mickey asked. 

“Yes!” 

They turned around and Mickey followed Ian. They reached another end of the hall and that door wasn’t locked. Mickey turned back and took something out of his pocket. It was a small bottle full of liquid. Mickey splashed it around and then took the lighter out. A flame sprang to life in his hand. 

Ian looked at him in awe. 

“We’re burning this place to the ground,” Mickey said and Ian smiled, pleased. 

Mickey dropped the lighter and the flames caught on immediately. Ian watched them with intensity in his eyes. His red hair shone in the firelight. 

'Let's go,' Mickey said. They ran out and saw another two guards in front. They clearly weren’t expecting anyone here and by the time they turned around and took in the picture of Ian and Mickey, Mickey already had the gun back in his hand and fired. One of the men fell and while the other scrambled to get his gun, Mickey fired again. 

The second man fell to the ground. 

“Let’s go,” Mickey said, his voice a low growl. 

Ian felt goosebumps go through his body. 

Ian led the way and it seemed like everyone already left the building. All the security guys were probably dealing with the panic in the club itself - customers running out, smoke coming from the direction of the bathrooms. Ian thought he heard fire truck sirens through all the noise. 

Freedom was nearly there. They turned a corner, but Mickey suddenly yelped in pain and fell. Ian turned back to look and saw Caleb standing over Mickey, a gun in his hand, pointed at Mickey's now bloody head. 

Caleb looked furious. 

“Is this all your job, you fucking whore?” he said, his voice cold and furious. 

Mickey rolled over and reached for the gun that fell close to him, but Caleb pushed it away with his foot. 

“I’m going to chain you to a fucking wall and whore you out for free until you choke on cock!” he spat the words out. 

In his blind anger he didn’t notice Mickey crawling closer towards him. Ian tried not to watch Mickey directly, but at the corner of his eye he saw Mickey suddenly lunge forward and grab Caleb's balls and dick, and squeeze as hard as he could. 

Caleb creamed in pain and his knees buckled. He hit Mickey back, but Mickey didn’t let go and squeezed harder. Caleb growled in pain. 

Ian lunged forward and grabbed Mickey's gun off the floor. Caleb saw him too late. He grit his teeth and tried to get a hold of Mickey's throat or put a finger through his eyeballs. 

“Hands off him!” Ian shouted to Caleb and pointed a gun right at his head. 

Mickey let go now as well and stood up, taking a few steps away from Caleb. 

There was a moment when they all looked at each other, trying to catch their breath. 

“You’re done kidnapping guys off the streets and selling them,” Ian said to Caleb.

“I didn’t kidnap you,” Caleb snared. “I only bought what was offered to me. D’you think if there’s easy access to junkies and homeless guys that nobody will use that easy access to sell them? Nobody will ever go looking for them! Like nobody ever came looking for you!” 

“Shut the fuck up!” Mickey said suddenly. “Come on, Ian, give me the gun and let’s go.” 

Ian looked at Caleb with so much hate that for a moment Caleb’s composer faltered and he looked scared. 

“You sold me to be raped,” Ian said, “night after night. You fucked me as well. Whenever you fucking wanted!” 

Ian’s eyes filled with tears and he blinked them rapidly away. 

“Nobody's going to come looking for you as well.” 

And then Ian pulled the trigger. 

The bullet went straight to Caleb’s head and he fell to the floor with a thud. 

Mickey stared at Ian, shocked. He came over to Ian, took the gun out of his hand slowly. Ian unclenched his hand and gave over the gun with an exhale of breath. 

‘Let’s go,” Mickey said gently. 

They ran. They were out of the building in another few seconds and Mickey led the way to where the car was parked. They got in the back of the car. Iggy and Mandy were there, seated in front, looking worried. 

“What took you so long?” Mandy asked. 

“Doesn't matter, just go!” Mickey shouted. 

Ian held on to Mickey as the car drove off, away from the burning club and the panicked people outside it. 

He tried to breath - in and out, in and out. 

He looked at Mickey and Mickey looked back at him, concerned, but strangely calm now. 

“You’re gonna be fine, Ian,” Mickey said quietly. 

Ian closed his eyes and buried his face in Mickey’s chest. 

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I hope you're all doing well, staying safe and sane. What the hell is evening happening with the world now? >_< I didn't get to go on my long awaited holiday to NYC and I'm working from home now, watching the world falling apart around me. So I wasn't in the mood at all to finish the story as well, sorry for a delay, guys... :( 
> 
> But anyways, this is the final chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it <3

Ian put on his hoodie and descended down the stairs slowly. The house was almost empty apart from Lip currently sitting in the kitchen, eating a sandwich. When Ian got down the stairs, Lip said ‘Hey’ and pretended to continue eating. But Ian saw Lip’s eyes following him. 

When Ian reached the back door, his brother’s voice sounded loud and a bit anxious. 

“You going somewhere?” Lip asked, trying to sound casual. 

“Just for a smoke.” 

Ian didn’t wait for the answer and closed the door behind himself. He breathed in chilly evening air and relaxed. 

He loved his family and he was so happy to be back home, but everyone was watching him. They were tiptoeing around him like he was made of glass or might have a breakdown any second. 

Ian needed some space. 

He sat down on the steps and took a packet of cigarettes from his hoodie’s pocket. He twirled the pack in his hand thoughtfully, already enjoying the idea of smoking, the anticipation of it. 

Ian hadn’t yet had a cigarette today and he desperately wanted one. Smoking helped him temporarily ease his mind and relax. And he desperately needed to find ways to relax. He was so unstable - nightmares every night, he was scittish and constantly kept looking over his shoulder if he had to leave the house, he snapped at his siblings more than they deserved to. 

Ian sighted and took a cigarette out. He put it in between his lips and then took a lighter from another pocket. 

A bird somewhere above him started singing. 

Ian flicked the lighter and a flame came to life. 

A flame, coming to life in Mickey’s hand slowly and then falling down. Red flames growing and swallowing everything around him. 

Ian closed his eyes and shook his head a little. He put the flame to the end of the cigarette and lit it up. 

Smoke rose slowly towards the sky and the birdsong ended abruptly. Cars and trains in the distance replaced the birdsong. 

Ian looked at the vast blue sky, at the fluffy white clouds he hasn’t seen for more than half a year, at the sun climbing over the rooftops. 

“Hey!”

Ian startled and looked around frantically. 

“Sorry, I didn't want to scare you!” 

Trevor was at the gate, slowly coming towards him. Ian blinked, confused, for a second thinking he was imagining things. 

Trevor came closer and stood uncertainly, hands in his pockets. 

“I heard you came back,” he said, smiling. “I came round to see you, your phone is constantly off and Debbie said you didn’t get another one yet.” 

“You talked to Debbie?” Ian asked. 

“Yeah, I had her number since that time she called me looking for you…”

Ian stared at Trevor, not sure what he was supposed to do. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to do. 

Before he was kidnapped, he and Trevor were dating. Where they stood now, Ian had no idea. So instead he put the cigarette to his lips again and inhaled deeply. 

“My first pack of cigarettes in more than half a year,’ Ian said. ‘Feels fucking great.”

Trevor smiled, looking cautious. 

“How are you doing?” he asked. 

“I’m home, so I’m already doing a million times better.” 

Silence fell again. Ian couldn't remember if he ever felt awkward around Trevor before. But now it was as if Trevor was a stranger or somebody he knew fifty years ago and had nothing in common anymore. 

Trevor, trying to shake off the awkwardness, came up and sat on the steps next to Ian. He extended his hand in silent request to share his cigarette, but Ian gave him the whole pack. For some reason, he didn’t feel like sharing with Trevor the cigarette he was already smoking. 

Trevor lit up his own and they smoked in silence. 

“So how’ve you been?” Ian asked, not knowing what else to say. “Youth Centre doing well?” 

“Yeah, well enough,” Trevor said. 

Trevor watched Ian smoke, his own cigarette forgotten. 

“So what really happened to you, Ian?” he finally asked. “I’ve heard so many things, real awful things, but nobody knows what really happened to you. Or if they know, they’re not saying anything.”

Ian glanced at him and felt Trevor shift a little as if he was uncomfortable being scrutinised. 

“I thought you told Debbie that I took off,” Ian said offhandedly. 

“Well, yeah, but you obviously didn’t,” Trevor said. When Ian just kept watching him, Trevor sighted. “Look, you tended to disappear for a few days, not answering my calls or texts - I thought it was the same bullshit as always.”

“Even after two, three months of me missing? You still thought the same?”

“Well, yeah… I thought you had enough and you just ditched me,” Trevor shrugged. 

“Ditched you?” Ian laughed, but his laugh was cold. “That’s all you cared about - your big ego?” 

“Come on, how was I supposed to know you were actually kidnapped?” Trevor asked, sounding annoyed. “I thought you were off, stripping at some bar and blowing guys-”

“Oh, I was definitely blowing guys,” Ian said, his voice cold and unfriendly. 

“Come on, babe, how was I supposed to know?” Trevor asked and put his hand on Ian’s neck, but Ian threw his hand off and stood up. 

“Don’t touch me,” Ian said. “Why are you even here? What the fuck do you want?”

Trevor stood up as well, dropping his unfinished cigarette on the steps. 

“Well, we were dating, weren’t we?” he asked, sounding annoyed. “I found out my boyfriend is back, am I supposed not to care?” 

“You certainly didn’t when you thought I took off!” Ian spat the words out. Then he leaned closer to Trevor and spoke in a low voice. 

“I told you, right before I was taken, that I thought somebody was following me a couple of times after work. You never said anything to the police or to my family about it after I disappeared!” 

“I completely forgot about that!” Trevor said, sounding indignant. “And I thought you were just seeing things, what with all the drugs and alcohol you were taking at-” 

He didn’t finish his sentence. Ian hit him square in the face and Trevor fell down the couple of stairs and lay flat on the grass, panting and looking dubstruck more from shock than actual pain. 

“I told you many times I stopped,” Ian said, sounding like he barely kept his anger in check. He took a breath in and relaxed his hands that were clenched into fists by his sides. “Get the fuck out of here, we’re over. We’ve been over months ago.”

Trevor stood up and looked at Ian. 

“Well, not that I was dying to be with you again,” he said. “I was just concerned and wanted to see if you were alright.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, tell this to my grandma, maybe she’ll believe you!” Ian shot back. “You thought I decided to disappear and when my family called you many times, concerned that they couldn't find me, all you said was you were busy, but you were pretty sure I was just in a mood, and I’ll get back when I was done sulking!”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Well, you implied,” Ian said with finality. “I trust Debbie and Lip a hundred times over you.”

Trevor stared at Ian, then wiped the blood from his chin and spat the rest on the ground in front of Ian. Trevor looked like he wanted to say something, but then he just sighed and turned around. 

When he disappeared from view, the doors opened behind Ian and Lip appeared. 

“What was all that about?” he asked. “Are you ok?”

“Were you spying on me through the window?” Ian asked. He knew it was unfair, but he couldn’t help but feel watched and babied by his family. 

“You were shouting plenty for me not to need spying,” Lip said. 

“I’m fine,” Ian said with a sigh. “We broke up, I guess. I don’t think there was anything to break up anyway.”

“Right,” Lip said and hesitated. “Is this because of Mickey?”

“What? Why do you ask that?” Ian frowned. 

“Well, you seemed to be very…” Lip looked for a right word, but couldn’t seem to find it and shrugged. “Reminded me those days when you were still in school, going to Mandy’s house to study, but actually ogling Mickey secretly. I get the same obsession vibes from you again.”

Ian stared at his brother and then suddenly laughed. 

“Well, no, I don’t want to date Trevor anymore, because he’s an asshole,” Ian said. “But I am also definitely obsessed with Mickey.”

And suddenly his smile fell and he looked like the entire world was weighing him down. 

“But he doesn't care that much about me.”

“Did he say that?” Lip asked. 

“No.”

“So what did he say to make you think that?” 

“Nothing,” Ian frowned. “That’s the problem. Him not being here at all after the club fire says everything, doesn’t it?”

Lip frowned. 

“Debbie gave you his number, didn’t she?”

“What?” Ian asked, confused. 

“Shit, Debbie, what the fuck?” Lip muttered. He finally closed the door behind himself and went down to sit next to Ian on the steps. 

“Did Mickey call?” Ian asked, sounding anxious. 

“He did, he called Debbie and left her his number. Said he didn’t have yours and asked her to pass it along to you. Debbie mentioned it to me a few days ago, I thought you knew.”

“She never gave me his number!” Ian said. 

“Ok, I see. Well, not all’s lost - get it from Debbie when she gets home and call him. See if it’ll take you two anywhere. I’m pretty sure no man would risk so much as Mickey did for you if he wasn’t emotionally invested into you.”

“Emotionally invested,’ Ian chuckled. ‘More like horny.” 

“Hey, no,” Lip hugged Ian over his shoulders and pulled him in. “If that’s all he wants, fuck him! I mean, not literary, but you know!”

Ian laughed. 

“But if he actually cares, you’ve got lots to gain and nothing to lose. From what I’ve seen, I think he cares about you quite a lot.”

“You think?” Ian asked. 

“Don’t you?”

They sat there for a while not talking, just enjoying the sunrise and the clouds painted blood pinks and yellows. 

The bird started singing somewhere above them again. 

*** 

Mickey fidgeted and looked down at his phone again. He was way too early, but it was nearing 6pm and Ian should be here any second now. 

Mickey flicked the burnt ash off his cigarette and took one last drag. 

When Ian finally called him after days of silence, he gave a perfectly reasonable explanation - Debbie just forgot to give him Mickey’s number. But now, standing at the corner of the bar and waiting for Ian, Mickey started having doubts. What if Ian wasn’t sure he wanted to see Mickey again and just made up an excuse? What if Ian needed time to think how to let him down gently? What if Ian wanted to forget that part of his life and Mickey, unfortunately, was a part of it? 

There wasn’t even anything between them yet so there was nothing to be let down gently about. But still, Mickey thought he made his feelings towards Ian pretty clear. 

He glanced down at his phone again - 5:58pm. 

He stood there, fidgeting and worrying, but trying not to. And when finally Ian appeared round the corner, Mickey was so high-strung that whatever Ian was about to say was fine - as long as Mickey finally got to see him. 

As soon as Ian’s eyes landed on Mickey, a huge grin appeared on his face. Mickey watched Ian approach and his heart fluttered. He told himself to get a grip, but then the next second Ian was here and he enveloped Mickey in his arms, and buried his face in the crook of Mickey’s neck. 

“Hey,” Ian mumbled into Mickey’s neck and Mickey’s hands wound tight around Ian’s shoulders. “I missed you.” 

Mickey smiled, hearing this, relief flooding through his body. 

“I missed you too,” Mickey said. 

They stood like that for a moment, just holding each other. Suddenly Mickey felt Ian shiver and exhale a shaky breath out. 

“Are you crying?” Mickey asked in shock. 

“No,” Ian denied feebly. 

For once Mickey didn’t have any smart remarks. He just tightened his grip on Ian and let Ian cry. 

It took a while for Ian to calm down and when he finally drew away from Mickey, his eyes were red and puffy. 

“Come on, I’ll buy you a beer,” Mickey said. 

They went into the bar and found a table at the back, as private as they could manage. Mickey got them drinks and they sat down in silence. Ian kept stealing glances at Mickey, but he still was clearly embarrassed. Mickey had no idea why though, Ian had all the rights in the world to break down in tears anytime he wanted. And if one of those times was upon seeing Mickey, that was just fine by him. 

“So maybe it’s a dumb question,” Mickey said, “but how you’ve been holding up?” 

Ian took a huge gulp of his beer and shrugged. 

“I’m supposed to start seeing a therapist soon, or they’ll drag me there,” he said. 

“Isn’t that… a good idea?” Mickey asked hesitantly. “The therapist, I mean. Nobody can deal with that shit you had to go through by themselves.” 

“I suppose.” 

Mickey stared at Ian in concern. Ian kept looking down at his beer, so Mickey slowly extended his hand and squeezed Ian’s wrist gently. 

“I just…” Ian shrugged in frustration. “I just want my life to get back to normal, but now… Everyone’s just walking around me like they’re waiting for me to blow up any second.” 

“You should be blowing up,” Mickey said. “If you’re walking around all smiley and calm, I doubt that’s very healthy.” 

Ian shrugged his wrist out of Mickey’s hand and glared at him. 

“Maybe you want to be my therapist?” 

“I’m pretty sure you’d turn out more fucked up than you already are.” 

Ian stared at Mickey for a moment and then laughed so loudly that a few people in the bar turned to look at them. Mickey smiled. 

“My asshole ex showed up a few days,” Ian said. 

“Yeah?” 

Well, Mickey was at least happy to hear the ‘ex’ part in that sentence. 

“And I don’t know if I’ll be able to get back my job as an EMT. One of the conditions is going to therapy, so…” 

Ian shrugged, but he looked pretty put down. 

“Do you want to go back working as an EMT?” Mickey asked. 

Ian lifted his head surprised and looked at Mickey. 

“I mean, why should you if you don't want to? And I can go beat up your ex if you want. Just say the word!” 

Mickey crunched his knuckles and flexed his fingers as if in preparation. Ian leaned over the table, closer to Mickey. 

“What if somebody finds out we burned the whole place down?” Ian asked. “Would they still send me to prison even if I was there against my will?” 

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Mickey asked. “If they ever sniff it out, I’ll take the whole blame. I mean, you didn’t know about the plan anyway, so don’t worry.” 

Ian looked down at his hands. 

“I don’t want you to go to prison,” he said quietly. 

“What do you want then, Red?” 

Ian looked back up again and a tiny smirk emerged at the corners of his lips. 

“I want you,” he said. 

They looked at each other for a long moment, staring in each other’s eyes. Finally, a lazy grin spread over Mickey's face. 

“Well, I’m all yours, Red. You didn’t even have to ask.” 

Ian’s eyes lit up with a smile and he grabbed Mickey’s hand, squeezing tightly. 

“So does this mean we’re a couple now?” Ian asked. 

“We definitely are,” Mickey grinned, suddenly happy beyond words. 

They looked at each other for a moment longer and then Ian leaned forward and kissed Mickey carefully, slowly. The gentle kiss soon ended as they started really kissing with tongues and teeth, and Ian grabbed the back of Mickey's head and pushed him even closer. 

Somebody wolfwisled and Mickey reluctantly broke the kiss, grinning. 

“I’ll be fucked up for a while,” Ian said. 

“I don’t care. I’ll look after you.” 

“And I don’t share - if i’m in a relationship, I’m 100% in it.” 

“I’ll beat the crap out of any idiot who even looks at you funny,” Mickey said seriously. 

“I love to cuddle.” 

“I sleep with a gun under my pillow.” 

“I want to get married someday and have kids.” 

Mickey hesitated just a couple of seconds, then shrugged. “I’m open to negotiations on this.” 

“I’m a top.” 

“Thank fucking God!” 

They stared at each other, grinning. This time it was Mickey who extended his other unoccupied hand palm up and Ian took it. 

“I’m really happy I found you,” Mickey said. 

“I’m really happy you found me too.” 

They sat there for a long time, just being in each other’s presence, enjoying the touch of their hands, sharing gentle and passionate kisses. 

And whatever the next day, the next week, next month would bring, Ian was happy to face life with Mickey by his side. 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments, as always, would be greatly appreciated <3 :) 
> 
> Lots of love to you all <3


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